Despite the difficulty some stars have faced trying to break into the fashion industry, it hasn’t stopped an abundance of celebrities from all walks of the entertainment industry trying their hand at designing. Sometimes they produce independent lines, but more often they work in collaboration with existing clothing companies (this is an incredibly predictable thing no matter what John Malkovich says). In every interview, when these men and women of music, film, and television are questioned about flexing their design muscle, it tends to garner a side eye. Did they really “design” that? Where does the pure brand rep'ing end, and the sketching begin?

Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd, has taken a different, refreshing take on the institution that’s as old as time. He signed off on an H&M collaboration titled Spring Icons Selected by The Weeknd (emphasis ours), which will debut online and in stores on March 2. The singer makes no pretense of designing any part of it, telling Women’s Wear Daily that he’s thrilled just to put his name on it. “[H&M was] so great, because they really cared about the collection they made,” he said. Name-checking Andreas Löwenstam, head of design for menswear, he continued, “They really nailed it with the collection, and it didn’t make any compromises in its design.”

Löwenstam threw the praise right back, telling W.W.D., “[The Weeknd] has such a great eye for the little details that matter, and for mixing together updated men’s classics for the perfect tailored streetwear look.”

The mutual admiration party between the star and brand are in keeping with celebrity collaboration traditions of yore, but The Weeknd and H&M take it on without any pretense about the division of labor. And neither party even used the tired word curate.

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